It's all in the other word
by Odainath
Summary: post season 1.  Everybody has their limitations.  Alicia Florrick is no exception.


_Someone speaks the line  
__It's all in the other word  
__That stops and steals the time_

_- 'Goodbye' by Tracy Chapman_

* * *

"Mr Gold? Alicia Florrick stopped by. She left a note."

Eli nods at his secretary as he walks into his office, his eyes falling on his desk and - more specifically - the A4 envelope that sits in the middle. _Bad news, _he thinks as he crosses the room, pulling at his tie, _Alicia would not visit in any other circumstances. _Eli sits down and rips the top of the envelope; inside is a sheaf of papers, copies of a divorce document, and on the front is a yellow post-it. The hand-writing is neat and orderly, distinctly feminine, and his eyes skim over the short note.

_Everybody has their limitations. I have reached mine.  
__A. Florrick_

-o-

**I.**

Their first meeting; he isn't sure what he had been expecting, but it comes as a surprise when Alicia Florrick greets him politely then, upon discovering who he is, turns into someone else entirely. Oh, she is still polite (he has a suspicion that is ingrained) but her distaste is obvious, from the slight curling of her lip to the suddenly clipped voice.

"_I thought as we're going to be in each other's lives, I should introduce myself."  
_"_Oh, that's really not necessary."_

The brush off, the flick of her hair over her shoulder, the way she sits down without sparing him another glance. All characteristics he didn't think Peter Florrick's wife – the somewhat dowdy woman he'd seen in news footage – would possess. And yet, here they were, him on the back foot, forced to lean against her desk in an attempt at nonchalance.

And even then, after all that posturing, she barely raises an eyebrow.

-o-

**II.**

She keeps the house immaculate, or perhaps that was Peter's interfering mother. He thinks it is the latter when he glimpses Alicia's desk, strewn with papers, though he imagines she would be able to lay her hand on any document she wished at a moment's notice. He stalks around the living room, his eyes roaming over the bookshelves, the perfectly positioned photographs. Peter is present in most of course, with Alicia always to the side.

There are none of her on her own.

He frowns as Peter calls from the kitchen that he is going to have a shower and follows the man's voice. He doesn't care a great deal for Florrick, finds him self-centred and selfish, though admits that he was an excellent state's attorney. His one redeeming trait. Eli sits down and picks up his phone, quickly checking 'Upriser7's' account. There is one more entry, much like the others. _Sleeping with her boss, widely hated, separate bedrooms... _He scowls, annoyed that he has yet to find the culprit, and twists in his chair as he hears the key in the lock.

"_Hello?"  
_"_In here, hon."_

Alicia leans against the door frame and he catches a glimpse of tiredness, quickly suppressed with irritation. Eli baits, it's habit after all these years, and is quietly impressed when she doesn't say a word about his news, merely asking him to leave so she can sort this out.

-o-

**III.**

Alicia's office is bland, forgettable were it not for the framed photograph on the corner of her desk. Peter and the kids in happier times. Heavy and silver, it is a stark contrast to the modern furniture with which it is surrounded. Much like the woman who occupies the desk; Lockhart and Gardner is full of 25-year-old graduates, all eager to please, willing to put in the hours, but Eli wonders how many possess any measurable _talent_ for the legal profession. More likely they were pushed into law by their parents, told of the financial security that the legal system no longer provided.

Alicia is different, of that he has no doubt. Older than her colleagues, absent from the workforce for thirteen years, and yet she makes the courtroom her own. Every step she takes, every word she speaks is measured, calculated to perfection. It is a skill not many possess but which Alicia has in great volumes.

Part of him is jealous.

He turns on his heel as the woman in question enters, arching an eyebrow in greeting.

"_We need to talk of Peter's campaign."  
_"_Mr Gold, I am at work, Peter's campaign can wait until after office hours."_

She holds the door open, eyes narrowed, and he has no real choice but to walk away.

-o-

**IV.**

She hands Eli her phone and takes Peter's hand, ensuring that he will regain office. Eli looks at the lit screen, the name 'Will' flashing in sync with the ringing, and presses 'reject.' He did his research, knows that she and Will Gardner attended college together, that he was her only real competition in her year.

Knows that there is _something_ there, indescribable, almost intangible, but there is a definite chemistry.

Its not that he's a romantic, little could be further from the truth, but as he watches Peter squeeze Alicia's hand, pulling her close, he wonders what Will could offer.

He pockets her phone, deeming it to be none of his business.

-o-

**V.**

The news is blaring, too loud in the room, but Eli doesn't reach for the remote in Alicia's hand, too focused on the crawl on the bottom of the screen. Peter's repeated his mistakes, fucked another escort, and Eli watches as Alicia crumples and falls onto the sofa, holding her head in her hands. It's an expression of weakness, one that lasts only a minute, before she looks up and juts her chin forward, pushing her shoulders back.

"Mom?"

It's the daughter, Grace, and Alicia holds her arms out. The girl rushes forward, almost throwing herself into her mother's embrace, and Eli stares down at the floor as her sobs echo around the room. Alicia holds her daughter close and looks over Grace's shoulder, fixing him with a cold stare.

It's a clear message to leave, and he does so, closing the door softly behind him.

-o-

Now, in his bland and impersonal office, Eli leans back in his chair and places his feet on the desk.

Alicia's note juts out from beneath his client's file, a bright yellow against polished wood. Eli closes his eyes for a brief moment.

And thinks Peter Florrick a fool.


End file.
